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England/Great Britain has long been the sleeping giant of international rugby league. No meaningful rugby league silverware has left the southern hemisphere in the past 30 to 40 years.
However, in the England versus Australia game last weekend, there were signs that the giant is beginning to awaken from a 35-year slumber.
Of course, there have been signs for ages that England are finally getting their act together. But this is different. The game on Sunday morning felt like a fast paced, hard hitting Origin match.
England matched Australia in most departments, which is hard to do when the football gods aren’t smiling down upon you. Injuries to world-class forwards Gareth Ellis and James Graham and several dubious calls by referee Henry Perenara (namely the decision to keep Tony Williams on the field and the ‘double movement’ call) made beating Australia – already an extremely difficult task – even more difficult.
In years gone by England/Great Britain always had a decent team, especially in the forwards. Their weakness, however, has always been their outside backs. This looks set to change with the inclusion of the likes of Jack Reed in the side.
But what the English have lacked most in the past is genuine X-factor. That is, a Slater, Hayne, Marshall, Inglis, Luke or Uate – someone who makes you stand up out of your seat whenever they get the ball in their hands.
It’s really simple: without an X-factor player or players, your team will not win games that come down to the wire. Don’t get me wrong, England have some world-class players. But Gareth Ellis or James Graham, as great as they both are, will not win games for their team in the dying seconds.
I said before that this England side feels different to past England teams. This is not because the Super League is getting better, and not because of England’s increased presence in the NRL. It’s because of two players: Sam Tomkins and Rangi Chase, both of whom terrorised Australia with their fancy footwork, speed and skill.
These players are both X-factor players. Sam Burgess too, who is currently injured, is an x-factor player. Don’t forget about Jack Reed or Gareth Widdop, either. Both are young, up and coming players who potentially have the ability to turn games on their head.
This new injection of X-factor into the England team begs the million dollar question: can England win the Four Nations? My answer: it’s doubtful.
I think that the gap left by the absence of Sam Burgess is too big to overcome. He is such a rare breed of player. He can hit the ball up on tackle one or two with the same power and gusto that the likes of James Graham and Matt Scott do. But he also has a killer sidestep, great speed for a big man, and he gets great offloads away.
I think England will comfortably beat NZ this weekend and as a result, they will secure their rematch against the Kangaroos. I think the final will be a close encounter, but I can’t see the Aussies allowing Lockyer to go out with a loss.
But rugby league’s a funny old game, and as the Kiwis proved last year, miracles can happen.
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